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Their Promise to the Contrary, Iron Empire Must Return to Sherman — So Rules President Tharpe

Posted: Sep 15th 2016 By: Tribune Press Services - IndieTrib.com

The last time The Iron Empire wrestled in Sherman, Rob Conway and Matt Riviera spat out some major disrespect for the fans at NWA Texoma in the spiteful aftermath of their World Tag Team Championship match against Team Revolution, a rousing battle than ended when the champions were disqualified.

“We will never set foot in Sherman again,” Mr. Conway shouted to the taunting fans after The Iron Empire's disputed victory over Seth Allen and Dane Griffin last July. “Never, ever.”

Not so, says NWA (National Wrestling Alliance) President Bruce Tharpe.

“After reviewing the video of the match, I find good evidence that The Iron Empire employed dubious means to retain their championship,” Mr. Tharpe stated in a press release from his office in Houston, Texas. “Therefore, if The Iron Empire manages to win its upcoming title defense in Japan, I will mandate their appearance in Sherman, Texas, on October 21, 2016, to defend the NWA World Tag Team Championship against Team Revolution.”

The Japan match for the NWA belt takes place next week in Tokyo against Englishman Rob Terry and a “mystery partner,” sources tell The Tribune. Should Messrs. Conway and Rivera prevail in Japan, then it's match-on at Sherman come mid-October.

The ‘Brain’ of Tharpe Stands for Justice in the Ring

“We want to make the NWA world tag title T H E title, the one belt that represents the best tag team wrestling on the planet,” Mr. Allen said during an interview at Old School Iron, the hard-nosed gym in Cleveland, Ohio, where he trains during the week. “So, when Rob Conway said no rematch and refused to give us another shot, I thought it was over.

“Thankfully Bruce Tharpe showed why it is his brain that is helping resurrect the NWA,” Mr. Allen continued. “He saw what happened, and even though Rob and Bruce are friends, our president did the right thing and made sure we were getting our rematch.”

A Title Lost, Then Quickly Regained

Given the tumultuous events of last weekend in Tennessee, the team of Conway-Rivera is fortunate to even call themselves world champs. In fact, for 24 hours The Iron Empire became a crumbled empire after losing their belt to The Heatseekers on Friday, September 8, at Ripley, Tennessee.

Heatseekers Matt Sigmon and Elliott Russell granted an immediate rematch the next night in Dyersburg under the banner of NWA Mid South. When the final bell sounded, the latest title reign of the Heatseekers was over. The Iron Empire had defeated them to take back the crown.

The Friday-Saturday topsy-turvy thus becomes another chapter in the long-running rivalry between Sigmon-Elliott and Conway-Rivera. It was at Robinsonville, Mississippi, on December 4, 2015, that The Iron Empire first claimed the world tag title by defeating… yes, you guessed it, The Heatseekers.

NWA Texoma Tag Team Champions

Respect for the Art of the Sport

“Dane and I have all the respect in the world for Rob and Matt,” Seth Allen said. “They are World Champs for a reason… Just so happens that in the case of their match against us, they are champs because they cheated.”

At Texoma in July, Mr. Allen and his partner hit their tag-tandem finisher, a wrecker double spinebuster, to stun Mr. Conway. Seth pinned the fallen champ for much longer than the necessary three-count, but Mr. Conway's partner from Arkansas reached through the ropes and pulled the referee away from the action, preventing the “one, two, three.” Then all havoc and mayhem broke out, leading ultimately to the disqualification of The Iron Empire — and under NWA rules, a title cannot change hands through DQ.

“Team Revolution is on a quest to become the NWA World Tag Team Champions — and not for glory or money,” Mr. Allen said. “We recently sat in a living room in Ringling, Oklahoma, studying guys like Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson, whose skills and ring presence prove that tag team wrestling is an art, and that the men who wore the NWA World Tag Team Championship belt were the best in the sport.”

E N D N O T E :
NWA Texoma's monthly show tomorrow night (September 16) features two world title matches. Godzilla Jax Dane defends the NWA World Heavyweight Championship against NWA Texoma Texas Heavyweight Champion Adam Asher. Amber O'Neal defends her NWA Women's World Championship against Christi Jaynes. In another feature match, former NWA North American Heavyweight Champion Tim Storm faces The Texas Lion Houston Carson.